BASIC NWFL, Inc. is a non-profit community based organization dedicated to aiding, assisting, and comforting those living with HIV/AIDS, their families and friends, and to provide awareness, education and prevention information to citizens of the six county service and planning area. Clients are from all age ranges, depending upon the program, but most clients receiving HIV/AIDS care and treatment services including case management tend to be between the ages of 25 and 50 years of age. Clients receiving prevention and substance abuse services primarily tend to be women of childbearing age 25-44 years of age. A social worker at BASIC NWFL has a varied job description depending upon their assignment to either prevention or case management. In the prevention department, a social worker is primarily a teacher, motivator, and trainer. The worker’s functions are to find and recruit persons at high risk for contracting HIV and/or substance users. They will provide proper education and training which in turn effects a behavior change so that a person can avoid becoming infected. Additionally, the prevention social worker assesses the clients lifestyle needs and attempts to intervene through effective referral and linkage to another community resource, and if possible, by direct intervention through counseling, support and other appropriate means. A social worker assigned to the case management department, a worker’s responsibilities are similar since the worker must assess needs and fin ways to meet client needs. As a social worker, they will be deeply involved in the referral and linkage aspects, by providing support especially in terms of adherence to medications and other medical regimes which are essential to the client’s progress. A social worker at BASIC, therefore, is an educator, motivator with excellent interactive personal skills. The social worker must be able to effectively interact with persons of all ages, be culturally sensitive, and be able to effectively intervene in a wide variety of crisis, or at least emotionally charged situations.
Special placement information:
Transportation required to cover field groups.
Liability insurance not required, covered by agency.
Video-/Audio-taping not permitted.